Medical Malpractice

Much attention is currently being given to the spiraling costs of health care delivery. There are many reasons for this. New technology and drugs that extends the quality and length of human lives requires increased funding for research, training and updating facilities. Malpractice insurance has forced doctors to increase fees. Just as in most any other sector all wages have increased over the years. As the medical community has been able to provide more, the public has grown to expect and demand more of the medical profession and... less of themselves! This dependence on others may in fact be one of "the" major causes of the current health care crisis.

This dependence on others and lack of personal responsibility is evident in many aspects of our society. People smoke, drink alcohol in excess, use illegal and prescription drugs in a careless manner, eat in excess and eat the wrong foods, don't exercise, practice unsafe sex and drive recklessly, even when vast amounts of information is provided that these types of personal actions will be injurious to their health! When one of these personal actions causes a problem, the individual then expects and depends on others (the medical profession, government, insurance companies, their employer, community programs etc.) to take care of them and their problem at virtually no cost to the individual.

Many of these same individuals will even blame others for their plight, failing to take any responsibility for their own actions. They in fact take on the irresponsible lifestyle of the "victim" and practice a combination of many and in some cases all of the high risk actions cited above. They then expect someone else to provide a quick and easy solution for fixing their situation at little or no cost to them personally.

The above example can be expanded to include the lack of personal responsibility demonstrated by individuals with regard to their education, employment, and personal finances, relationships with others and their personal values and goals. Individuals drop out of school, fail to get the education and training they need to stay employed, spend their money foolishly, put little effort into building relationships and have a set of weak values and virtually no goals for improving their life. These individuals then turn to "experts" to fix things for them.

Yes there are individuals - do to mental or true physical handicaps - who truly need the compassion and the help of the community and... yes there needs to be provisions to take care of those who are truly in need. But as a society we need to once again regain the art of personal responsibility and self-reliance. We need to grow to expect more of ourselves and... less of others.

So what can you do to be a more responsible individual or to guide and help those whose life you touch? I believe we create ourselves and shape our identity through what we are willing to take responsibility for; and to demonstrate that responsibility, and self-reliance, through our daily actions. I also believe that each person can only do well in all aspects of life if they develop and carry a sense of direction, fullness and meaning to what they do on a daily basis.

Whether your goals concern career, relationships, health, education or financial issues, you need to understand how intimately success and happiness are tied to personal responsibility. You need to understand that personal success and independence begins with the act of consciously choosing to accept personal responsibility as a way of life.

Only you can think your thoughts, make your choices, decide what you'll dwell upon, what you'll read and listen to, who you'll associate with and the life-style you will live; therefore, you are totally responsible for all the consequences of all those actions and behaviors, good or bad. It's unavoidable.

The following checklist can serve as a means of examining where you are or provide you with a tool to discuss with others the importance of personal responsibility in the formation and development of their potential. In an age where we constantly seem to turn to others for answers this list can be unnerving; but the reality is... survival in the 21st Century will require personal responsibility as the "victim umbilical cord" is cut. As individuals and a society we can no longer afford it.

Personal responsibility Checklist

o You are responsible for your attitude.
o You are responsible for determining who you are to become, and how your choices will affect your life.
o You are responsible for the choices you have made.
o You are responsible to choose the direction for your life.
o You are responsible for "all" the choices you make in your life.
o You are responsible for what you choose to think and feel.
o You are responsible for making you feel good or bad about yourself.
o You are responsible for the good and bad consequences of your actions.
o You are responsible to "get over it" and get on with life.
o You are responsible to mature and determine how you will develop self-esteem.
o You are responsible for protecting and nurturing your health and emotional well being.
o You are responsible for building solid and lasting relationships.
o You are responsible for your education and attaining usable life and work skills.
o You are responsible for your career.
o You are responsible for your financial situation.
o You are responsible for giving your life meaning, direction and reason.

Post Script

The issue of personal responsibility has acquired a new urgency in the 21st Century. "Mind work" has replaced muscle work; authoritarian hierarchical structures are giving way to more open, communicative structures; and cognitive skills are of paramount importance. Today's workplace needs men and women who are able and willing to think on there own, to be self-directing and self-managing, to respond to problems proactively, rather than passively waiting for someone else to do something.

We are entering the age of knowledge were your earning power will be determined by your learning power. People and organizations will need to be responsible initiators and innovators of products and services. This requires a can do culture and the fostering of a pioneering spirit. It requires developing the art of personal responsibility regardless of the role you play or the position you occupy both on and off the job.